A dogmatic belief in objective value is necessary to the very idea of a rule which is not tyranny or an obedience which is not slavery.
C. S. LewisRead
The very idea of freedom presupposes some objective moral law which overarches rulers and ruled alike...Unless we return to the crude and nursery-like belief in objective values, we perish.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Freedom requires a foundation of objective moral values that apply to everyone.
C. S. Lewis emphasizes that true freedom cannot exist without a shared understanding of moral law that binds both leaders and citizens. He argues that when societies abandon these objective values, they risk descending into chaos and moral relativism, ultimately threatening their very existence.
Themes
FreedomMoral LawObjective ValuesPhilosophySociety
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech on ethics in politics, you might use this quote to emphasize the importance of upholding moral standards.
More from C. S. Lewis
All quotes βI enjoyed my breakfast this morning, and I think that was a good thing and do not think it was condemned by God. But I do not think myself a good man for enjoying it.
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Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither.
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Forgiving and being forgiven are two names for the same thing. The important thing is that a discord has been resolved.
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I pray because I can't help myself. I pray because I'm helpless. It doesn't change God - it changes me.
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The instrument through which you see God is your whole self. And if a man's self is not kept clean and bright, his glimpse of God will be blurred
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